John Hansen

The Mirror Crack'd

Lansbury takes crack at Marple in ‘The Mirror Crack’d’ (1980)

Sleuthing Sunday (Movie review): While the actress isn’t my idea of Christie’s sleuth, the plotting and acting are strong in this adaptation.

MaXXXine

‘MaXXXine’ wades into belly of beast to cap ‘X’ trilogy

Movie review: Mia Goth concludes Maxine’s story and Kevin Bacon steals the show as Ti West piles on Eighties moral grime.

The Gathering

Ricci’s ‘The Gathering’ (2003) is well-meaning, cliched church horror

Frightening Friday (Movie review): Writer Anthony Horowitz (“Poirot”) teases out an original theme from a too-familiar package.

Third Man

‘The Third Man’ (1949) doesn’t even need a third man to be great

Throwback Thursday (Movie review): Starring Cotten and Welles, this is one of the definitive film noirs, elevated by great dialog and fascinating oddities.

Trouble with Harry

‘The Trouble with Harry’ (1955) is that it’s so different

On a Hitchcock kick (Movie review): Still, this light-dark comedy-drama is worth a watch, and it features perhaps the best scenery in a Hitch film.

Cobra Kai Season 6

‘Cobra Kai’ eventually gets its kicks back in Season 6, Part 1

TV review: The storytelling and characters are at black-belt level, but the fight choreography and camera work have fallen off.

Saboteur

‘Saboteur’ (1942) again features a man on the run, but it’s not old yet

On a Hitchcock kick (Movie review): In one of his elite early films after coming stateside, Hitch directs a coast-to-coast suspenser.

A Princess of Mars

‘A Princess of Mars’ (1912) crumples under weight of what came later

Throwback Thursday (Book review): But readers interested in the chain of imaginative writings that led to “Star Wars” will want to check out Burroughs’ classic.

Marnie

‘Marnie’ (1964) is pitch-black and gray and red all over

On a Hitchcock kick (Movie review): Late in his career, Hitch delivers an interesting film despite a dearth of likeable characters.

Fall Guy

‘The Fall Guy’ freefalls from its high ambitions

Movie review: Big epic action films are fine now and then, but David Leitch’s remake of a 1980s TV series is the pill that leads to an overdose.